Tenten's Unconventional Guide to Work-Life Balance
by PreciseUncertainty
Summary: Neji's seen enough missed trains, rescheduled meetings, and fully booked hotels to understand that travel plans should always be flexible enough to accommodate last minute changes – especially if Tenten is involved. [NejiTen][AU][Modern day Japan]


**Tenten's Unconventional Guide to Work-Life Balance**

* * *

To most passers-by, Neji Hyūga was indistinguishable from any other young salaryman; amongst the hundreds of thousands of commuters who transited Tokyo Station on a typical weekday morning, he certainly did not appear to be particularly remarkable in any aspect.

Only the most subtle of details hinted otherwise. The perfectly crisp designer suit paired with an expensive yet understated silk tie, a touch too sophisticated for an ordinary workday in an ordinary office. The briefcase, made of genuine Italian leather, convenient and functional but also distinctly high-end. The unusually long and smooth hair, superbly maintained with not a single strand out of place, unreasonably impractical for routine evening drinking sessions with co-workers.

Neji, as a matter of fact, was not just any young salaryman. At only twenty-six, he was already a highly respected executive in his family's business – the prestigious Hyūga Group, one of Japan's largest conglomerates. Nonetheless, he was content to maintain his anonymity in public, to be a single drop of water in the high tide that was rush hour. Thus, he allowed himself to be swept up in the steady flow of alighting passengers as they ascended from the metro platforms in the lowest depths of the massive station all the way up to the main concourse on the ground level, where they filtered efficiently through the ticket gates before dispersing in all directions like a spring bubbling from the earth.

The entrances to the elevated platforms where all long-distance trains stopped were only a short walk away from the metro exits, but this part of the station was considerably less crowded since relatively few people travelled outward from the city centre early in the morning. Neji swiped his ticket at the turnstiles with the sort of casual effortlessness only attainable through many years of frequent travel, then gracefully sidestepped a trio of disoriented tourists before they had even the briefest opportunity to ask him for directions. Finally, he proceeded to his departure platform via the stairs, taking the steps two at a time without appearing the least bit rushed.

A sharp gust of wind, its unpleasant chill balanced by the uplifting scent of fresh rain, greeted him when he reached the platform level. Above, in the grey skies of early March, winter's retreating rearguard had tenaciously clashed with spring's relentless advance, leaving behind plenty of cold and dampness in the wake of its inevitable withdrawal. This particular combination of weather conditions outside made the warm, dry cabin and comfortable reclining seats of the _shinkansen_ trains especially appealing, so Neji quickly headed toward the first class coach that was close by.

" _Neji Hyūga!_ Where exactly do you think you're going?!"

The unmistakable anger in the familiar voice – Tenten's – made him freeze only steps from the train doors, and he hastily turned to look at the irate woman who had unexpectedly emerged from a nearby elevator, dressed as if she had been unable to decide between a morning jog and a morning commute. She had inexplicably worn her favourite maroon windbreaker jacket together with a sheer, floral-patterned scarf, and her mud-splattered running shoes likewise clashed horribly with her stylish handbag. One of her signature hair buns was also slightly looser than the other, which Neji understood to indicate that she had tied them with more urgency than usual.

It was definitely not a good sign.

"I'm going to a customer's headquarters to wrap up a contract. It shouldn't take very long," Neji stated honestly. He paused for a moment to maintain his composure before countering with his own questions. "Anyway, don't you still have work until noon today? And how did you even get up here without a ticket?"

"I emailed my boss to tell her that I'd be late," said Tenten impatiently, sweeping past Neji into the train and blocking the door with her arms crossed. "Because I needed to find out _why my fiancé decided to go on a business trip – on my birthday – without telling me_!" she finished, scowling. "Oh, and as for how I got in, I used a service entrance. It wasn't that hard to find an unlocked one," she added offhandedly.

Neji struggled to keep his expression neutral. "Who told you that I wasn't just going to work like normal?"

"Hanabi. She wakes up early unlike Hinata and she's a pushover when it comes to these things," answered Tenten, shrugging. "And that's enough questions already. You'd better have a good explanation for this, Neji." She reached out to poke him in the chest threateningly.

"There's a customer who ordered two hundred systems, which is a deal that's worth about ten billion yen," he replied. "They've already committed to the purchase. However, their CEO informed us at the last minute that he would like to sign the contract in person, so I ended up having to go."

Evidently, this was not a good explanation because Tenten's scowl only deepened.

"Is that so? I suppose work is still more important to you than everything else?" she demanded, her voice turning quieter but gaining a dangerous edge. "I didn't even ask you to take today off, Neji. I just wanted you to come home a bit earlier so that we could spend a nice evening together, but you can't even manage that. You'd rather go to some faraway city by yourself to sign a piece of paper."

"Tenten," warned Neji as he tried to push past her into the train but was blocked again by her outstretched arm.

"You didn't even bother to tell me," accused Tenten bitterly. "I only found out because I happened to wake up earlier than I usually do-"

"Listen to me, Tenten," Neji ordered. He didn't exactly raise his voice, but his clear change of tone was likewise effective, and he took advantage of Tenten's short hesitation to grab her right hand in his left and brush past her into the vestibule. "Why would you possibly think that I have put my job before you? Take a look at this," he said resolutely, pulling his ticket from his suit pocket and handing it to her. "Do you see the time of the return trip? My meeting will take an hour at most, so I was intending to arrive back in Tokyo by two o'clock and then go home early. That's why I have to leave on one of the earliest northbound trains."

Tenten inspected the ticket for a few seconds and returned it slowly, her expression softening. "That does make sense, but why didn't you tell me earlier, Neji? You know that I wouldn't have been angry at all if you'd explained it that way to begin with."

"Actually, this was all meant to be a surprise, but you seem to be intent on forcing me to reveal my hand," continued Neji, pulling up several emails on his phone screen to show her. "Well, I already have plans for the rest of the day too. I made a reservation for that restaurant in Ginza, the one with the dumplings which you really liked. I also got passes for the new archery range that opened recently. You haven't picked up your bow much in the last few years since we graduated from university, and I can tell that you really miss it."

When Tenten didn't move or respond, Neji faltered and started to consider the best way to phrase an apology, but the sound of the cabin announcement interrupted his thoughts.

 _Ladies and gentlemen, welcome on board the Tohoku Shinkansen. This train is the Hayabusa super express number 47 bound for Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, with stops at Ueno, Omiya-_

"The train is about to depart," he pointed out instead, "I'll call you when I get out of my meeting. You should-"

Before he could finish, Tenten firmly grasped his shoulders with both hands and pushed him backward until she had him pinned against the luggage racks. She grinned mischievously at him, her eyes sparkling.

"Wait, what are you doing?" asked Neji, managing to keep his voice low but not entirely free of alarm. "What if someone sees us?"

"Don't worry," she whispered playfully in response. "This is the back of the cabin and all of the seats face the other way. Plus, no one will hear us over the announcement."

She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

 _-Sendai, Morioka, Hachinohe, Shin-Aomori, and Kikonai. All seats on this train are reserved. If you have-_

Neji's mind unsurprisingly went blank and all sounds except for Tenten's soft moans faded from his ears as their kiss deepened. He wrapped his arms intimately around the small of Tenten's back and drew her close, relishing the familiar warmth that she radiated. Only when the two of them were both quite flushed and out of breath did they finally pull apart.

 _-located in car two and car eleven. Thank you for choosing East Japan Railway Company. We hope that you have a pleasant journey._

The end of the cabin announcement was followed first by the quiet but unmistakable click of the doors closing, then by a single distinctive blast of the train horn. Tenten gasped in shock and immediately darted toward the door release button, but her frantic presses had no effect at all since the train was already pulling away from the platform.

She turned to face Neji sheepishly. "Ehehehehe..."

"It's too late now. Come on," conceded Neji flatly after a brief but rather awkward pause, during which he smoothed out his suit as much as he could and straightened his tie. "This train is never crowded this early in the morning. We should be able to find you a seat."

The seat next to his own assigned one happened to be empty, so Tenten happily plopped herself there, stretched lazily, and lifted the dividing armrest in order to rest her head on his shoulder. Outside the windows, the sprawling northern suburbs of Tokyo streaked by, a monochromatic panorama of featureless concrete towers blended by splashes of rain into an equally featureless backdrop of overcast skies.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Tenten sat up abruptly, her face lighting up with an affectionate smile, and pulled a beverage can from her handbag. "I picked up some coffee for you earlier. You were leaving in a hurry and probably didn't have any time to. It may have gone a bit cold by now, though."

"Even when you're upset, I can still count on you to always have my back," Neji said with sincere gratitude. He accepted the can and popped open the tab, but took only a few sips before handing it back. "Here, it's best if we share since it looks like you could use some coffee yourself. Also," he added, remembering their earlier conversation. "It would be a good idea to send another email to your boss about how you've decided to just take the whole day off instead."

"I'll do that later," declared Tenten dismissively after placing the coffee in her seat's cup holder. "Wake me up when we arrive, Neji?"

He nodded in agreement as Tenten closed her eyes and nestled her warm body comfortably into his arms. Although he had originally intended to review the contract again to pass time on the train, Neji found that he simply didn't feel like doing that any more. As a result, he was left to contemplate the ever-unfathomable question of how Tenten, merely by her presence, had the power to affect him in a way that no one else could even remotely approach. Only the polite voice of the conductor eventually brought him out of his reverie.

"Tickets, please."

Unfortunately, the couple had only one ticket between them, so Neji sighed and reached for his wallet. Perhaps he would be able to convince his uncle to expense this...

* * *

 _Author's notes:_

In case you are unfamiliar with canned coffee, it is an innovation which originated in Japan in the late 1960s and is now ubiquitous there. Both hot and cold versions of this drink can easily be found for about ¥100 to ¥150 in convenience stores and vending machines across the country.


End file.
